The Anxious Brain And Worry Cycle

The anxious brain usually experiences more worry than fear. It feels exhausted and with limited resources, due to recurring concerns and an ongoing sense of threat and pressure. Neuroscience tells us that this is the result of amygdala hyperactivity.

Napoleon Bonaparte used to say that we should throw out our worries in the same way that we take off our clothes at night to sleep more comfortably. But we worry all the time.

Ad Kerkhof, a psychologist at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, pointed out that worrying about certain things is completely understandable and normal. The problem is when we worry about the same things day after day.

It is also a question that neuroscience experts have been asking themselves for a long time: What is it that happens in the brain that leads us to enter these psychological pathways? Why do we magnify our worries to the point that we can not stop thinking about them?

The anxious brain and amygdala

The anxious brain is the opposite of the efficient brain. While the latter optimizes resources at hand, has a proper emotional balance, and keeps stress levels low, the former is the exact opposite. It is characterized by hyperactivity, exhaustion and even unhappiness.

We know what causes anxiety and what it is to think about things over and over again. But what happens in our brains when we are worried? A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2007 gave us an interesting answer.

Emotions and pain

• Doctors Stein, Simmons and Feinstein from the University of California pointed out that an increase in the reactivity of the amygdala and ocular cortex leads to an anxious brain.
• These brain areas are also responsible for predicting a potential threat to our environment. Therefore, they encourage an emotional state in response to such stimuli.
• However, when we are anxious for several weeks or months, another interesting process arises. Our prefrontal cortex, which favors self-control and rational thinking, ceases to be as effective as it normally is.

In other words, our amygdala takes control, thus increasing the intensity of our obsessive thoughts. And, another aspect that is worth mentioning is that anxiety causes pain in the brain. Activation of the anterior cingular cortex seems to suggest that this is exactly what is happening.

Some people are exposed to extreme anxiety

We know that too much worry can lead to anxiety. But why are some people able to deal with their daily worries, while others continue to fall into the compulsive and repetitive cycles over and over again?

• A study by doctors Mark H. Freeston and Josée Rhéaume from the University of Quebec tells us that there are people who use their concerns effectively. They know how to throw away the negative, take control, reduce guilt and use a proactive approach to find a solution to a problem. Other people are stuck in negative situations.

• This study showed that the anxious brain may have a genetic component.
• Highly sensitive people tend to experience these psychological conditions.

How to deal with worry effectively?

No one wants to have an anxious brain. We all want to have an efficient, healthy and strong brain. To achieve this, we must learn to control our worries. This is a skill that will keep us from suffering from anxiety.

Let’s go over some very simple keys to training your worry-control muscle:

It’s time to live, and it’s time to worry

• This strategy is as simple as it is effective. It is based on a cognitive behavioral tool that suggests that it is appropriate to set aside a specific time of day to worry: 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening.
• During this time we have to think about what worries us, as well as possible solutions.

• We can not think of things that worry us outside of these time periods.

Good memories as an anchor

You need to be prepared to push your worries aside. Creating positive and relaxing “anchors” is a good way to do this. For example, remembering a positive emotion or a memory can help.

To conclude, it is necessary that you have the following in mind: These strategies take time and require willpower, perseverance and determination. It is not easy to tame yourself and calm down your anxious brain.

However, it is possible to take control of the anxious brain. All you have to do is stop paying attention to your worries, let go of the pressure and set new goals.